


Pointless

by kate7h



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/M, First Kiss, Part I- During training, Part II- Post-war, Shiganshina Trio
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-08
Updated: 2016-02-22
Packaged: 2018-05-18 23:49:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5947951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kate7h/pseuds/kate7h
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After coming upon an unexpected obstacle, Eren and Mikasa awkwardly wait to be able to get back to the barracks. Part II now up!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part I

**Author's Note:**

> I read this one comic about Eren and Mikasa which was very good, but I felt like taking the situation and running with something different. Please go read the comic and support the original artist, it's pretty great and beautifully drawn.
> 
> Original: http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=manga&illust_id=35278213  
> Translation: http://saku091.tumblr.com/post/63193088501/

Eren stretched his arms over his head in a yawn. He could feel the pull and burn of every single muscle he had in him, the result of a long, hard-working day. It hurt, but it was a good kind of pain. Evidence of his body growing stronger, more disciplined.

But it had been a long day, and he was ready to just fall into bed, gear and all. Damn Armin for reminding him of the chapters he hadn't read in their book work. He'd sat and read in the mess hall hours after dinner. He rubbed a hand over his slightly bleary and tiredly stinging eyes.

He started down the steps towards the barracks when he noticed Mikasa just standing there, leaning against the wall. He tilted his head, eyeing her. Everyone else had already gone to get ready for lights out. Why hadn't she?

"Oi, Mikasa. What're you doing here?"

She looked up, surprise on her face. Eren couldn't help but feel satisfied at that. She was usually so perceptive, so it was nice to think he could sneak up on her without even trying. Or she just wasn't paying attention. Probably the latter.

"Eren," she breathed, and he rolled his eyes as he went to walk past her.

"You should go to bed too. We have another long day tomorrow."

"Wait," Mikasa said, reaching out to grab his sleeve.

Eren sent her a look. "Huh? Why?"

"If we go now, we'll get in the middle," Mikasa said, making less and less sense.

Eren pulled his hand away, continuing to walk. "What are you even talking about?"

But as he turned the corner of the wall, he stopped in his tracks. Heat rushed to his face as he realized what exactly he was looking at. Memories of his parents when they thought he wasn't paying attention, or some way too comfortable people in the city, very blatantly hiding in corners.

He pulled himself backwards, rounding the corner once more to where Mikasa stood, trying to ignore the flush of blood in his face.   
  
"W-what're they doing?" he asked, appalled, honestly.   
  
"Kissing," Mikasa replied matter-of-factly.   
  
"I know! I saw! I mean why are they doing that here and now?" he ground out, bristling at the thought that just round the corner they were doing that. In public.   
  
"Who knows?" Mikasa said, her voice just as bland as her response before.   
  
Eren didn't reply and they fell silent, only the sounds of Franz and Hannah's making out echoed round the stone wall. He ground his teeth as he hunched in on himself.   
  
"Do they even care about what we're trying to do here? We're training to be soldiers, and they're being so… imprudent."   
  
"Soldiers are only human," Mikasa stated, this time more quiet, thoughtful. _Sad_ ? Eren glanced at her face, but what wasn't covered by her bangs was being shoved into her scarf. "Soldiers can't be expected to fight indefinitely."   
  
"What's with this?" Eren asked, tilting his head, trying to see her face better.   
  
Mikasa's eyes darted at him, then away. "Maybe Franz and Hannah felt like they needed this." 

Eren snorted, leaning his back against the wall again, folding his arms. "Why would you need something like that? It doesn't serve any sort of purpose."

When she didn't respond, it grew quiet again, and Eren was really wishing there was a different path back to the barracks.

"How would you know if it doesn't?" Mikasa asked suddenly, minutes after he'd spoken last. "You haven't kissed anyone."

He sneered at her, weirdly offended. "Maybe not, but you haven't either. So why do you think it does?"

She glanced at him again, her expression unreadable. "My mother told me..."

That sobered him up. He frowned, annoyance draining out of him. Mikasa hardly ever spoke about her parents. Which was understandable, considering those circumstances. Eren was always surprised when she brought up something about them.

"She said it was something you do when you care very deeply for someone." Mikasa gestured with her chin towards the sound of Hannah and Franz. "I imagine they just care deeply for each other. And it's not like this is training hours, and they aren't hurting anyone. So let's just leave them be."

Eren decided not to mention the fact that they were actually blocking both he and Mikasa's way to the barracks, but her words, this haunting message from her mother. He couldn't bring himself to speak against it. So he just settled against the wall, shoulder to shoulder with Mikasa.

"So you think that's true? What your mom said..."

Mikasa nodded. "Yes I do."

Eren was quiet after that, considering her words. What it would mean for himself. He hadn't really considered such things too much. There was other things to be worried about. Obviously. They were in a war for the very survival of humanity. It sounded like such things would be a distraction. And he _knew_ it distracted Franz and Hannah from their training, even if they didn't have to be training at the moment. _Lovey-dovey airheads._

But maybe after the war, after everything, Eren tried to imagine himself in that sort of situation. Kissing someone he cared deeply about. He didn't really have anyone he felt like that about. He was closest to Mikasa and Armin, but he wasn't sure what the distinction was to make you want to kiss someone. He cared very much about both of them, but he didn't really want to kiss them.

For a brief moment, he considered kissing Mikasa, the way Franz was kissing Hannah, and his face turned red again. He hunched in on himself, feeling his shoulder brush against hers once more. Gingerly, he scooted himself over, that spot growing cold now with the lack of touch.

"What're you thinking about?" Mikasa asked, and Eren folded his arms tighter over his chest. He almost afraid she was actually reading his mind.

"None of your damn business," he ground out, looking away.

Yep, he definitely didn't want to kiss her.


	2. Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At what would be the end of the world, Eren finds the peace he's never known.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long on this, I think I promised it a week or two ago...? Eek, sorry... I'm distractable, and also cold season? Ugh... anyways, enjoy!

The battle was over. Maybe even the war too, but Eren felt far from victorious. They'd lost too many, that was obvious. Completely apparent. Eren felt all twisted up and cold inside. Who was still alive? Who was gone? The smog of death and titan steam almost felt like it was going to choke him, blinding him.   
  
Eren was running on wobbling legs, stumbling really, though he barely had energy to do that, and he didn't even know where he was running to. He'd stayed in his titan form too long. And since he was in flat land, he couldn’t make use of his gear to get above this haze. All around him, distant, muffled sounds of weeping, or crying out the names of the lost. He couldn't hear any of the words clearly, though. It was almost like his whole world was buzzing.    
  
"Mikasa! Armin!" He shouted through the mist. They could be gone, both of them. Eren's heart hurt, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "Connie! Sasha! Jean! Captain Levi!"   
  
His squad were supposed to be the best. They couldn't be gone. They were all fine. But he knew as well as anyone that people were not invincible, no matter what their reputation said. He fell to his knees in the soft earth. What could he do? Who knew the chaos after a battle was just as terrifying as the chaos within one?   
  
"Eren?" A voice called out through the haze, and immediate warmth filled him at the sound. He knew that voice, he knew it as well as he knew his own.    
  
"Mikasa!!" He shouted back, pulling himself to his feet once more, ignoring the spinning of his head. He never knew he could feel so much joy at hearing her voice.    
  
"Where are you, Eren?!" She replied, and Eren turned about, trying to figure out where her voice was coming from.    
  
"I'm here!" He cried, staggering towards where he could hear her. "I'm over here!"   


His tears threatened to fall once more when he finally saw her, running towards him with her hair and scarf fluttering around her.    
  
"Eren!" She said again, barely slowing as she threw her arms around him. His knees about gave way, half because of the weakness his Titan powers left him with, half because of the utter  _ relief _ he felt at her warmth, at feeling her heartbeat against his chest.    
  
She eased them to the ground, letting him kneel once more. But when she went to pull back again, he wrapped his arms tighter around her, keeping her close.    
  
"You're alive, you're alive..." He muttered, his face full of her hair.   
  
"I couldn't find you," Mikasa said, fingers trembling as she touched the back of his head. "I was so scared-"   
  
"Me too," Eren choked back his tears again. "W-what about Armin? And everyone else?"   
  
Mikasa nodded against him. "He's okay, Armin and our squad are alright."   
  
A dam of relief broke in him and the tears finally fell down his face. "G-good. That's good."   
"We should get back to them. We've had other casualties," Mikasa muttered. 

Eren felt awful for being happy. He felt terrible for feeling so much joy. The squad was alright, Armin was alive, and Mikasa was living and breathing in his arms. He hadn't even asked for such a thing at the war's end. It felt like too much to ask for.

Even so, he couldn't seem to will himself to move just yet, so Mikasa stayed as well. "It's over, isn't it?" Eren asked quietly.

Mikasa pulled back, looking at his face, a smile on her lips. "Yes. This should be the end."

He let his arms loosen their grip around her, then settled for holding her hands in his lap. "It's over…"

"It's almost unbelievable, right?" Mikasa asked, squeezing his fingers softly.

He nodded. There wasn't much he could respond with. It was over, really over. The Titans… they'd defeated them. This was the day he'd dreamt of even before his mother had died. The Titans were  _ dead _ . Humanity had won, had survived. They were the victors. 

"What do we do now?" Eren muttered, looking down at their hands clasped together. 

Mikasa pulled her hands out of his to move them up, placing both her hands on his shoulders. "We fought. We won. Now we get to live."

He looked up, recognizing a variation of his own words, the words he'd said to her when they'd first met all those years ago. That bloody night, when children stained their hands red. They'd survived and he didn't regret it, but he hadn't looked at himself as a child until recently. At Historia's orphanage, there was the constant presence of children. Kids who'd been through hell, seen so much. Probably similar things he'd witnessed as a child. But despite his own experiences, he couldn't bear to look into those kids' eyes and know that. Especially when they were running around, smiles on their faces, gaining happiness back. He'd been about the same age as those kids when he took his first life.

They were all so young. Too young for the harshness of the world. 

Mikasa's own eyes were shining as they were quiet, staring into each other. It was over like it began: he and her kneeling in the midst of the fallen dead, the defeated. They, the victors. Together as they had been for years.  _ Forever _ , he'd told her on that day Hannes had died. He'd promised to be with her forever, and he'd meant it. He couldn't imagine his life without her, and now he didn't have to. The war was over. From now on they would learn to settle into peace. He wasn't even sure how to start with something like that. But he was sure, as long as his dear friend was beside him, along with Armin and everyone he loved, he knew they would all be fine.

"Mikasa," he said softly, leaning his forehead against hers. Her breath against his face dried the tears lingering on his cheeks. "Thank you for being together with me."

He supposed it was his turn to quote her.

She blinked, the hand on his shoulders clenched into fists. She was surprised he was thanking her for the exact thing she had thanked him for that time.  _ Ridiculous _ . He smiled, heart aching with the relief and joy and deep caring he felt for this girl he'd fought beside for so long.

Mikasa pulled back, moving her hands up to frame his face, then she leaned forward again, touching her lips to his. Her lips were so light against his own, he could barely feel it. He was suddenly reminded of that time when they'd stood, waiting as Hannah and Franz kissed in the hallway, unaware of their presence. He remembered the words Mikasa had said, what her mother had said. This is what you do when you care deeply for someone.

Eren brought his own hands up to back of her neck, letting his fingers interlace with her hair. He pressed his mouth closer against hers, carefully tilting his head. It felt so timid, so tender. These were things he has hardly ever been with her, and vice versa. They were rough children with hard edges and viciousness. They had used that to survive, but that wasn't what this was about. Eren didn't want to be harsh in this, he wanted to show her that he cared. He moved his lips against hers, gently soaking in these feelings, the soft warmth spreading through her chest.

It took a few moments for Eren to realize she was crying. Concern filled him as he pulled back, sweeping his thumbs across her cheeks. "What's wrong?"

Mikasa shook her head, letting out a breathy laugh. She looked up with a bright smile, tears still falling down her face. "Nothing at all. Everything's alright, for once in my life."

Eren smiled back, pulling her close to press his lips to her forehead this time, then brought her into another hug. She laughed again, wrapping her arms about him once more, tucking her chin over his shoulder. 

"What about you? Are you alright?" she asked, her voice muffled. 

Her words brought him back to the present situation; the aftermath of humanity's last stand against the Titans. He shut his eyes, trying to not see the carnage all around them. It was easier to do if he just focused on her, her warmth seeping into him, leaving his back chilled in comparison. Her breath against his neck. He didn't know who they'd lost. Not Armin, not their squad, thank goodness. But lives had been lost, paid for the cost of war. 

He hugged her closer. There was nothing to be done about that now, but his heart ached once more all the same. 

"I'm glad you're here with me," he murmured into her hair, her presence definitely making the burden bearable.

Mikasa eased back to look him in the eye, her hands sliding to rest on his shoulders again. "I always will be. I promise."

Eren nodded, resolution in his heart now. She always had been, ever since that day, she was always with him. That promise was almost unnecessary, it was an unspoken credence that would always bond them. It didn't need to be spoken aloud, but even so; he reached out, his palm cupping her face as he brought his forehead against hers once more. "Me too. Forever."

He leaned in to kiss her again when they heard much more coherent, familiar shouting.

"Mikasa! Mikasa, did you find him?" Armin called from not far away. Even though Eren knew that Armin was alive, trusted Mikasa's word, it was still such a relief to hear his voice. He smiled again, releasing Mikasa's face as he turned to where the sound was coming from.

"Armin! We're over here!" he shouted. It was easier to see now, as the mist of the Titans was  evaporating. He could see Armin a ways off, turn towards them and begin to run. 

"Eren! Mikasa!" Armin shouted, wrapping his arms around both of them. Eren barely had time to gasp before he was smashed underneath both Mikasa and Armin on the ground. Despite the dizziness he realized he was still feeling (from the titan effects and probably from sharing a kiss with Mikasa as well), he smiled, pulling them both closer as they both held him tight.

"Oh right!" Armin exclaimed pulling himself up and reaching out his hands to help Eren and Mikasa as well. "You alright? After that, I'm sure no one would blame you if you slept for a week."

Eren took Armin's hand with another smile. Probably one of the easiest smiles he could remember wearing. His heart was heavy with the loss, and the feeling of triumph was nowhere to be found. But sitting here, his closest friends beside him at what would have been the end of the world, he felt peace settle within him. He threaded his fingers with Armin's, then scooped Mikasa's hand up in his other hand and did the same. Mikasa grasped Armin's other hand in hers, and that feeling of peace only became more prominent. 

"I'm good," he said quietly to the two of them, squeezing their hands in his. "Everything's gonna be alright now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the patience and hopefully comments? <3 love y'all and thanks for readon

**Author's Note:**

> Part II is coming soon. Thanks for reading! Comments are always super appreciated!


End file.
